Sunday, October 18

Mos Def announced today that he will be performing Black On Both Sides in its entirety at The Independent in San Francisco on October 19, 2009. Although the show is sold out, you may be able to wrangle up a ticket tomorrow. Good luck, because this is not a show to miss.

Tuesday, October 6

On November 9, 2009, SSM faves LCD Soundsystem will release their first music since 2007's excellent Sound of Silver. "Bye Bye Bayou" is a cover of a song from Suicide's Alan Vega's 1981 debut album. The track is purportedly "8+ minutes of classic LCD Soundsystem, deep soulful grooves that will appeal to fans and non-fans alike and will whet the appetite for fans dying for LCD's upcoming third album to be released in March 2010." Look for the track to be released via DFA Records on 12", complete with an a capella cut. Source.

The Lady Doc and I had the distinct pleasure of seeing Thom Yorke perform on Sunday with his unnamed new band, billed by The Orpheum as "??????". Consisting of Nigel Godrich (keys, computers, guitar, backup vox), Flea (bass), Joey Waronker (drums) and Mauro Refosco (percussion), the band played to a sold-out crowd of 2,000 eager concertgoers.

Touted by Ticketmaster as a "ticketless" concert, we gained entrance after an employee swiped the original purchase card, and a tiny, waist-mounted printer spat out two non-tickets with our seat assignments. We entered the ornate lobby, passed the merch table (stocked only with copies of "Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses"), picked up a bottle of water, rubbed elbows with Cillian Murphy and Anne Hathaway, and made our way to our seats.

After a brief set from L.A.'s veteran experimentalists the Lucky Dragons, Yorke & Co. took the stage to a preemptive standing ovation. Yorke motioned for the crowd to sit, and the band launched into The Eraser in its entirety. For example:

The band blasted through rich, impassioned performances of every track from The Eraser. Yorke stated that they had been rehearsing for three weeks, and it really showed. Their chops were tight and polished, particularly the live percussive elements which easily surpassed the programmed beats on the album. Flea knew his place and precisely when to rock out, and when to exercise restraint. And, as always, Yorke's vocals were second to none. During main set closer "Cymbal Rush", I felt like he was channeling a fractured message from the future, by way of an alien satellite.

Yorke then performed three tracks solo, which felt like he was letting us in on demo versions of future Radiohead songs. The band returned for four more songs. And then, just like that, this truly special performance was over.

Friday, October 2

Hot off the announcement of two nights at The Orpheum Theater, Thom Yorke, Flea, Nigel Godrich and others have added another show for TONIGHT, this time at the much smaller Echoplex. Per Dead Air Space:

"so yes that band thats doesnt really have a name that im working with at the moment??????have decided to do a warm-up show on Friday Oct 2nd around 9pm at the Echoplex in Los AngelesIts not that big, it'll be total chaos and its kind of a rehearsal but .. if you are near by..below is a link to get tickets.hope you get lucky with it.